Auto Insurance

Owning a vehicle comes with responsibilities, and the right auto policy is what keeps a bad afternoon from becoming a bad year. Insurize places auto cover with the insurers on our panel and explains, in plain words, what each quote will and will not pay for.

What auto insurance actually does

Auto insurance is a contract between you and an insurer. In exchange for a premium, the insurer agrees to pay certain costs after an accident, a theft or another event named in the policy — repairs, medical bills, and claims made against you by other people.

Two numbers decide most of what a policy is worth: the limit, which is the most the insurer will pay, and the deductible, which is the part you pay before cover starts. Raising the deductible lowers the premium and raises the size of the loss you are carrying yourself.

Types of coverage

Liability coverage

Liability pays for injuries and property damage when you are responsible for a crash. Most states require it, and the legally required minimum is usually well below what a serious injury actually costs.

• Bodily injury liability — medical costs for other drivers, their passengers, and anyone on foot.
• Property damage liability — repairs to the other vehicle, and to walls, fences and street furniture.

Collision coverage

Pays to repair or replace your own car after a crash, whoever was at fault. Worth holding while the car is still worth more than a year or two of the premium.

Comprehensive coverage

Covers the losses that have nothing to do with a collision:

1. Theft
2. Vandalism
3. Storms, floods and fire
4. Falling objects such as trees and debris
5. Collisions with animals

Personal injury protection

Medical costs, lost income and rehabilitation for you and your passengers, regardless of who caused the accident. Required in some states, optional in others.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

Steps in when the driver who hit you has no insurance, or not enough of it. It is usually one of the cheapest lines on a schedule and one of the most useful.

Read the exclusions before the benefits. A policy is defined by what it refuses to pay for, and that list is always shorter and clearer than the sales copy.

Roadside assistance

Towing, jump starts, flat tires and lockouts, at any hour. Often cheaper as an add-on to a policy than as a standalone membership.

Rental car reimbursement

Pays for a hire car while yours is being repaired after a covered claim, up to a daily amount and a total number of days set in your schedule.

What moves the premium

Insurers price the risk, not the person. The things that move an auto premium most are the vehicle itself, where it is parked overnight, the annual mileage, the claims and convictions on the driving record, and the deductible you choose. Adding a second experienced driver often lowers a premium; adding a very new one raises it.